Do you believe Revelation is literal, physical, spiritual, something in between, or just another completely different perspective! I would love to see your thoughts and your logic behind them.
If we begin here ,the vision doesn’t really
mean much to us biblically we just imagine a giant seven headed beast ect
“And I stood upon the sand of
the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
And
the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of
a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of
a lion:
and the dragon
gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.”
Revelation 13:1-2
If we don’t know anything else about this line of prophecy in the Bible we begin imagining a dragon and a seven headed beast Rising up from the sea with ten horns and crowns ect
so nothing is bieng revealed to us it’s just a vision we don’t understand about a dragon and beast
But if before that in about 60-90 ad we had heard this vision of prophecy from about 700 bc then what we’re reading in “ revelation “ has much more meaning to us
“Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and,
behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon
the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
And
behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this I beheld, and lo
another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl;
the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
you can see how daniels vision is a forerunner for johns. daniels four beasts appearing as a lion and an bear and a leopard with four four heads , and then the fourth beast. In 700 bc are johns one beast with seven heads having the appearance of a leopard ,bear and lion.
When the seven headed beast is explained in chapter 17 we see its rule of its heads is 5 past 1 present and 1 future.( From johns perspective in time not ours. )
After this I saw in the night visions, and
behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and
strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it;
and it had ten horns.
I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes
like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.”
Daniel 7:2-8 KJV
and the second part there
“And I saw
one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And
they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast?
who is able to make war with him? ( fourth beast in Daniel )
And there was
given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear.”
Revelation 13:3-9 KJV
“
These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others,
exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; and of the ten horns that were in his head, and of
the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes,
and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
I beheld, and
the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; ( johns beast)
…Thus he said,
The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and
shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the
ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
And
he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.”
Daniel 7:10, 13-14, 17, 19-25
then revelation 17 shows us more about the ten horns also and extra horn
“And there are
seven kings:
five are fallen, ( johns past )
and
one is, ( johns present )
and
the other is not yet come; ( johns future )
and
when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
And
the beast that was, and is not, even he is
the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And
the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.( johns future )
These have one mind, and
shall give their power and strength unto the beast. And
the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast,
until the words of God shall be fulfilled.”( prophecy )
Revelation 17:10-13, 16-17 KJV
John is seeing a comprehensive apacolypse that reveals prophecy and so the book of revelation plays against the rest of scripture like you see Daniel and revelation doing regarding the seven headed beast .
There’s a lot more to this particular subject but I’ll stop . Daniels other visions identify who the four kingdoms are Babylon was the first kingdom to rule nebucadnezzar is the first head . Then it would be media Persia who overthrew Babylon they were the second kingdom the third was Greece who overthrew Persia , and later rule was divided amongst the four generals of Alexander the Great after he was killed which led us into johns time as rome was forming to its full power being the sixth and seventh heads of the beast and the final kingdom in that first prophetic line there before the “ one who is and was “ arises as the final king with his ten companion kingdoms of which three he will destroy in the second line of prophecy regarding the nt you see there in revelation
Revelation is understood as we take in prophetic lines and other prior events in tbe Bible like a simple one is Jesus death and resurrection in the gospel
This next verse wouldn’t make any sense if we didn’t know about Jesus dying for our sins and rising up to life and then ascending to heaven and sending back his spirit into the earth like he promised . Or heard John say of Jesus look the lamb of God ! Ect if we had t heers any of the information on the gospel bout Jesus death this wouldn’t be of value we would t even know it’s him
“And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders,
stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”
Revelation 5:6 KJV
what my point is is the information on the rest of the Bible is how revelation makes sense it’s an
apacolypse “ to reveal “ something like lifting up a curtain and then you can see what’s already there but the curtain was blocking it ….
about because we read those things or learned then heard them ect we know immediately who the lamb is whomis worthy , and had been slain but still lives and is given all authority ect we have heard those things in the gospel about Jesus so , when we see revelation we just know ok that’s Jesus appeering at the throne of God and receiving his kingdom like Daniel also saw beforhand with less detail as John sees it with more details on chapter 5
.
In daniels visions it explains that
Babylon who had taken israel captive and ruled over them was
the first kingdom looking like the lion. And that
Persia was the second which looked like a
bear, and that
Greece would be the third like the leopard with four heads ( Alexander the greats four generals who ruled after him when the Grecian kingdom divided. But before it was fully formed into the Roman Empire )
revelation is revealing things that were
beforehand , we’re happening in johns
present and also things that
were to come all the way to an entirely new creation and “heaven on earth with the lord.